Opportunity Scholarship Changes

The NC Opportunity Scholarship has made some changes to eligibility levels that some of our families might benefit from. Please see the information below from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) concerning these changes.

Dear K12 Nonpublic Schools:

The 2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act changes certain eligibility requirements for the Opportunity Scholarship Program. This legislation was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper on September 4, 2020. We posted this information online for Opportunity Scholarship families on September 11. The Opportunity Scholarship website has a banner alerting everyone to the changes, and to the information posted.

We wanted to make you aware.

The Opportunity Scholarship and NPS email volume as school starts was already high. We hope for your patience as we answer family questions and assist you regarding certification, endorsement, and disbursement, with our small team.

The Income Eligibility guidelines (effective for spring 2021) are updated. Key information for you to pass along: families of students previously ineligible due to income who may now be eligible do not need to apply again. Further, anyone who has not applied may still do so. The application remains open through December 31, 2020. Applications submitted from 9/1/2020 through 12/31/2020 are considered for spring semester 2021 awards, assuming funding permits. See the document linked above for more information.

Youth Sports Registration

Registration for youth soccer is now open! The WCS youth sports league is not limited to WCS students. Feel free to pass this information along to anybody you know who might be interested in signing their children up to play soccer this fall. Questions about youth sports may be directed to Travis Stigge at tastigee@gmail.com. Register for soccer at https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/waynechristian.

Library Card Sign-up

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month, and Wayne County Public Library has offered to partner with Wayne Christian School to make it easy for students to obtain library cards for the public library. WCPL has locations in Goldsboro, Pikeville, Fremont, and Mount Olive, and all of their resources are free for card holders to use. The public library has provided a form that will cover the parental consent they need without the parent needing to go in person to the library. The form can be downloaded here , or students should see their English teacher or Mrs. Deck in the library for a form. Submit before September 25th, then Mrs. Deck will get the forms to the public library and distribute library cards once they are ready. A public library card will allow students to reserve library materials through the WCPL website and pick them up at the most convenient branch, as well as obtain electronic resources through the library. To get an idea of resources available through the Wayne County Public Library, see their website at www.wcpl.org.

2020-private-school-library-card-verification-formDownload

New Advisement Office Website

Check out the brand new webpage for the Advisement Office, where you can find information about planning the high school years, graduation requirements, college and scholarship information, etc.: https://sites.google.com/waynechristian.org/guidanceoffice/home. You can also get to the advisement office webpage through the Academics tab and the Parents tab on the school’s website.

High School: Chromebook Contracts

High school students and parents received a Chromebook contract via email last Friday. The signed contract must be returned to the office whether you choose to purchase insurance or not. The contract is due by September 30. You can find a copy of the contract at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1blPZZR2ZsyQHtYjxG7NR0O324rS3ZlfWL-YSZPgbMrM/edit?usp=sharing if you need to print another one.

Youth Sports Update

We’ve been receiving lots of questions about updates on youth sports. Our teams typically participate in leagues with the Goldsboro Parks and Rec department. However, we found out last week that neither the Parks and Rec Department, nor the Family Y, are having sports leagues this fall. Mr. Pugh, assistant athletic director, and Mr. Stigge, youth sports director, are working to figure out how we can run our own league. We will continue to keep you updated as we have more information about how fall youth sports will look this year.

Athletic Updates

Attached is a copy of the NCISAA fan/spectator policy for fall sports. We understand the disappointment of parents who will not be able to attend every game this season, although we are hopeful that the spectator policy will be loosened with further review as the fall seasons get started. The NCISAA released the following statement: “The Association is excited to see student-athletes get an opportunity to compete.  As member schools continue to grow confident in their protocols as it relates to COVID-19 management, we fully anticipate more schools competing.  The Board of Trustees will continue to re-evaluate the current Fan/Spectator Policy.  We thank you for your patience and trust as we all work together in this endeavor.”

Essential personnel (as determined by sport) are allowed to attend games. We have a sign-up list for parents to volunteer for these positions. Please see your child’s coach to volunteer for a position at a game.

The official statements from the NCISAA are included below for your review.

ncisaa-spectator-policyDownload
ncisaa-return-to-play-fall-sports-rev.-2Download

A Time to Say Goodbye

Rebecca Collier holding a Togolese flag

Ever since Miss Collier came to us (and filled a great need at WCS, I might add), we have know that our days with her are limited. When she joined the faculty for the 2018-2019 school year, she already had plans in motion to go to Togo, Africa, as a missionary/teacher. A series of delays kept her with us for two years, but today, we are faced with both sadness for us and excitement for Miss Collier, as we prepare for her to leave us for the mission field.

Miss Collier is asking for prayers as she heads out on this journey to which God has called her. See her latest update letter below, and you can follow her journey on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rcolliertogo.

collier_missions_update_1Download

Paul Brenner named Van Lunen Fellow

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (August 28, 2020)—Paul Brenner, Administrator at Wayne Christian School in Goldsboro, NC, has been selected by the Van Lunen Center for Executive Management in Christian Schools at Calvin University for a 2020-2021 fellowship. 

The Van Lunen Center’s 2020-2021 cohort of fellows include educators from 22 schools across the United States and Canada, and one from Haiti. For photos and school affiliations of fellows, visit http://www.calvin.edu/vanlunen/vanlunen_fellows/.

The Fellows program, now in its 13th year, is designed for school heads who seek professional development in their work as administrators of faith-based schools. The majority of participant expenses are covered by the Van Lunen Center, including cost of instruction, lodging, meals, coaching and access to topic experts.

The Van Lunen Center was established at Calvin College (now University) in January 2007 with a $2.5 million endowment gift to the college from the Richard D. Van Lunen Foundation. Subsequent gifts from several foundations, individual gifts and Christian school associations support the center. Its purpose is to provide executive management education for senior leaders of schools based on the historic Christian faith. 

“The sessions are focused on content with experts in their field, and include collaborative, active-learning workshops and presentations,” according to Yvonne Ferwerda, director of the Van Lunen Center. 

“In areas essential to today’s heads of school such as conflict transformation, board governance, sustainability and development, marketing and enrollment, and strategic planning,” she said, “participants will deepen their own leadership, develop skills, and create deep relationships with peers and leaders. They will become more prepared to craft and implement a sustainable Christian educational mission with parents, teachers and other supporting communities.”

This year, the program begins with monthly online sessions in September, October, and two online sessions in November 2020. It continues in January 2021 for five days, and ends with three days in July 2021. Between sessions, faculty coaching and consultant support is available via phone and online tools to assist fellows with their applied school project.

The Van Lunen Center was established to serve faith-based schools large and small across the U.S. and Canada with a big-tent philosophy, reaching out to schools from a wide range of faith traditions, including Baptist, Catholic, evangelical Protestant, Episcopal, independent Christian, Lutheran, Mennonite and Reformed Christian day schools.
For more information, contact  info@vanlunencenter.org or visit www.vanlunencenter.org.